Recent Opinions

It’s time to call all of these hate acts against people of color what they are: acts of terrorism. We must stop tiptoeing around this word, terrorism, which makes us uncomfortable, because the use of the word “terrorism” to describe the actions of part of the American population will make its perpetrators aware of our hypocrisy.

Growing up, I longed for people to view me as intelligent. I loved being associated with the adjective smart, and I, in turn, also complimented others’ intelligences freely. It wasn’t until later that I realized how damaging and invalidating that simple praise could be.

Government launches teaching initiative for Affordable Care Act

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Kathleen Sebelius launched a new initiative yesterday to teach graduating college seniors about the health insurance options available to them through the Affordable Care Act.

The Act, which President Barack Obama signed into a law on March 23, assures that approximately 1.2 million graduates can opt to stay on their parents’ health plan until they turn 26. In the absence of the Act, those graduates would have been forced to find their own coverage upon receiving their diplomas.

“Americans in their twenties are almost twice as likely to go without health insurance as older adults, making them vulnerable to debt from high medical bills,” Duncan said in a press release yesterday. “We want to work with college and university presidents and campus leaders to ensure more young adults can get the coverage and care they need to stay healthy, even if they are unemployed or looking for a job.”

To that end, letters were sent to schools across the country outlining how university officials can reach out to their students, including posting a new “badge” on school websites that links to information about the law. The HHS and Education departments have also offered to hold information sessions to explain these options.